


Just for Tonight

by myosotisdibs



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Apprentice Uses She/Her, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Possibly Unrequited Love, mostly comfort, spoilers for Asra's route, unbeta'd and written at 3am
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24958897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myosotisdibs/pseuds/myosotisdibs
Summary: Post a neutral route I made up in my head where you learn everything you learned in Asra's route, defeat Lucio, but don't romance anyone.The Apprentice comes home to the magic shop for a night.
Relationships: Apprentice/Asra (The Arcana)
Kudos: 11





	Just for Tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Theoretically I wrote this about me, for me, because I needed it to exist, but legally you are allowed to read it.
> 
> Apprentice uses she/her pronouns but no name is given.

Asra woke to the smell of a fire and jumped out of bed in a panic. He quickly surveyed his surroundings: he was in his room, there was a fire in the hearth, and there was a figure in a cloak he didn’t recognize standing just in front of it. He was about to go on the offensive when the figure turned toward him. He couldn’t quite believe his eyes.

“Is… is it really you?” He took a tentative step forward as she just looked on at him sadly, the hood on the cloak obscuring almost all of her from being seen. “Are you really here or is this a dream?”

A small smile came to her face as she lowered the hood. “You’re awake now, Asra.”

He crossed the whole room in 2 steps, wanting desperately to embrace her but stopped short in hesitation. She looked… tired. She has only been away a few months but she looked like she had lived a lifetime since they last saw each other. Worst of all, he saw pain in her eyes as she looked him over.

“If I had known you were coming, I would’ve had tea prepared.” He noticed her cloak was wet. “My dear, you must be freezing. Would you like something else to wear? You still have plenty of things here.” He fluttered his hands in front of her and then looked over to the chest he had placed her leftover clothes in.

She seemed to study him for a moment and his heart skipped a beat in the silence, and then she slowly nodded, undoing the buttons down the front. He turned away from her quickly, opening the chest to find something comfortable and warm from her things.

When he turned back toward her, she was down to a loose, wet blouse, stuck to her skin in some places, and a pair of tight fitting pants. She had two small bags strapped to either hip, a pair of very worn boots that came up to her knees, and she was wringing water out of her hair into a leftover bowl by the fire. He tried not to look too closely, wanting to be respectful even though he had seen all of it and more before, and placed the clothes on a pillow near the fire.

“Would you like that cup of tea to warm up?” He asked, mostly just looking for an excuse to leave the room so he could give her a chance to change without feeling awkward.

She looked up at him, another tired smile gracing her face. “Yes, please. That would be great.”

He did a little bow for her, which seemed to make her giggle a bit, and excused himself downstairs to prepare it. He made sure to take his sweet time, wanting to help her warm up but also wanting to make sure he gave her plenty of time to get changed.

When he returned with his two steaming cups, she was sitting on the pillow by the fire wearing the comfy clothes he had picked out for her. Her hair already looked fully dry, possibly by magic, and she had her hands held out towards the warmth. She didn’t acknowledge him as he approached to sit on a pillow beside her, continuing to stare into the flames.

He set her cup down beside her, unsure if he should say anything to bring her back from where her mind had gone while she stared. He took a small sip of his own tea, deciding not to interrupt.

It only took a moment or two for her to blink quickly, lowering her hands and turned her head a bit towards him. Before their eyes could meet, she dropped hers to the tea before her and quickly reached for it. Her eyes closed as she inhaled the steam deeply, her shoulders dropping as she exhaled.

“I did miss this tea.” She looked to him again as she took a sip. A smile came to his face that he mostly hid behind his own cup. “I missed you too.” She added, a bit quieter than the previous.

“Well, I’m glad you’re back.” He resisted the urge to reach out and touch her. “I’m not sure if you plan on staying, but you are always welcome back here.” Her eyes seemed to get sad again and she looked back to the fire, taking a few more silent sips of her tea. He let the silence sit for a minute, not wanting to pressure her too much but also bursting with curiosity as to where she has been, why she was here, if she was okay. Hoping to start the conversation, he settled for saying, “you look tired, my dear.”

She laughed bitterly. “That bad, huh?” He started to protest, not meaning any offense, but she stopped him. “It’s okay Asra, I have seen my reflection recently. I know you didn’t mean any harm, just worried about me.” He closed his mouth, hoping she would continue on. She sighed, setting her almost empty cup down and rubbing her face roughly.

“When I left, after we stopped Lucio, I knew I had to find something. I don’t know what it was and I don’t know where I could find it, but I knew I had to go.” She explains, continuing to stare at the flames as her arms cross in front of her. “I’ve spent about as much time in the realms as I have here, sometimes getting lost in both.” He knew that feeling all too well, but didn’t want to interrupt. “I felt like I had so much to see and learn and do and experience.” She sounded wistful, her grip on herself getting tighter. “I still do.”

Her head turned to him, her eyes brimming with tears as his heart burned to try to stop them. She moved to stand and he jumped to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. She took it and he felt the tingle of her skin on his, so warm and right it felt to touch her. When she was upright, she dropped their hands, but didn’t move from where she stood close to him. He felt his cheeks warm from being this close to her and wanted to touch her again but didn’t move a muscle. She took a shaky breath, her eyes closing. “Do you remember what you said to me before I left?” His eyebrows furrowed together, which she didn’t see. She continued on anyway. “You told me I could use you for anything I needed. You would provide me with anything I needed, all I had to do was ask...”

“Because half of my heart will always be with you,” he finished softly and she quickly opened her eyes to look at him, as if she was surprised he remembered the exact words. “I remember.”

She moved even closer to him without looking away, getting as close as she could be without their bodies touching. He searched her face, trying to understand what she was doing and trying hard to resist the urge to reach out to her when she looked so sad. “Can I sleep in your arms tonight?” She almost whispered, like she was ashamed to ask. Her fingertips lightly touched his arm and he felt goosebumps form on his skin. “I just want to feel safe for a little while.” Her eyes closed as a single tear fell down her cheek.

He broke, wrapping both arms tight around her and pulling her against him. She exhaled another shaky breath, gripping his sides as she buried her face in his neck. He rested his cheek against her head as he rubbed small circles into her tense shoulders. “Of course, my dear.” He whispered, squeezing lightly. “You can stay as long as you need.”

After several minutes standing there embracing, she began to pull away and he felt it like a tug on his heart. Before he could mourn it, she grabbed his hand and started to pull him towards the bed they used to share. They left the dying fire to burn itself out as they crossed the room, him watching her like a fool under a spell as she walked forward unaware.

She crawled onto the bed, moving toward what was normally her side of the bed but more toward the middle. He carefully sank in after her and pulled the blanket up over them both. It only took a moment of him laying down for him to pull her in again, which she gratefully scooted closer for. She rested her head on his arm as she cuddled into his chest with her face hidden. He put one hand on the back on her head, running his hand softly through her hair, and placed his free arm around her middle to hold her close.

Her body finally seemed to relax as she exhaled against him. He continued to hold her as close as he could, whispering a “goodnight, my love” into the crown of her head. She didn’t respond, just continued to breathe against him.

He continued to hold her, long past when she finally seemed to fall asleep, long past his own arm falling asleep beneath her head but not daring to move it. He still had a million questions he wanted to ask her, a million things he wanted to know about her since she had been gone. He wanted to enjoy it as much as he could but eventually the warm body against him brought him down into sleep with her.

When he woke the next morning, she was already gone. He would’ve wondered if she had ever been there at all, if it wasn’t for the almost empty cup of tea next to her pillow by the fire.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll read it over after I get some sleep to see if there are any huge mistakes, sorry if you see it before then. But thanks for reading.


End file.
